Police confirm body found in river that of missing mom Nicola Bulley

Police have confirmed that the body found in the River Wyre Sunday is that of missing mother Nicola Bulley. 

Lancashire police made the announcement during a press conference Monday. They said Bulley’s family has been notified and are “devastated.”

“She was the center of our world,” a family statement read by police said. “Our girls will get the support they need from the people who love them the most.”

The statement continued to say that it saddened the family to think that one day they will have to explain to Bulley’s children that the press and members of the public accused their father of wrongdoing in the disappearance, as well as “misquoted” and “vilified” friends and family. 

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Bulley, 45, vanished on Jan. 27 after dropping her children off at school. She was last seen walking her springer spaniel on a path by the river, but her cell phone was found on a nearby bench still connected to a work conference call and her dog was found between the bench and the river. 

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Her body was found about a mile from where she was last seen, BBC stated. 

The Lancashire police department, which dedicated 40 detectives to the investigation, came under increasing criticism the longer the case went unsolved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.